I love hot, pressed pressed sandwiches, so much that if I don't have access to a panini press I've been known to break out an old Foreman grill and press my sandwiches that way. Regardless of your preferred method, cleaning up melted cheese and any other condiments that may ooze out can be messy business, but this old trick makes cleanup a breeze and makes your hot pressed sandwiches super portable: just wrap them in parchment paper before pressing.

Parchment paper has a ton of great uses, from keeping pizza crispy to storing tortillas and lining your baking pan, but this method—often seen in food trucks and delis—gives you the power to press a sandwich, keep your press clean and free of melted cheese, oils, or condiments, and you end up with a hot sandwich in its own little parchment paper pocket, ready to toss into a lunchbox or pack away for a picnic.

If you're still baking brownies, cakes, or snack bars in a baking pan and then struggling to…
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The idea, from this month's issue of Cooks Illustrated, is a variation on the toaster bag, but using it with a press or between two pans eliminates direct contact with a heating element so the paper doesn't scorch. Are you a fan of hot pressed sandwiches, or is this old hat to you? Let us know your pressed sandwich technique in the comments below.